Board expands Castro Theatre landmarking after debate over fixed seating and APE project

The San Francisco Board of Supervisors on June 6 voted to amend the Castro Theatre's historic landmark designation to include interior features and the building's full historical significance, and approved a subordinate amendment affecting how the ordinance was framed before other land-use hearings.

Supervisor Rafael Mandelmann, sponsor of the amendment, said he supported updating landmark protections but moved to remove a committee amendment he said was intended to pre-judge the merits of a proposed renovation by Another Planet Entertainment (APE). "I have not supported the historic preservation commission's landmarking recommendation specifically for the purpose of killing the APE project," Mandelmann said, and asked colleagues to remove the committee amendment from the ordinance.

The board debated preservation goals, neighborhood vitality and the risks of pre-empting future land-use hearings. Supervisor Aaron Peskin, who led a push for stronger interior protections, emphasized the theatre's cultural role and the Historic Preservation Commission's expertise, invoking Harvey Milk's earlier defense of the…